The usage of mechanical seals is well known in fluid handling machines like pumps, fluid motors etc., and the sealing is generally accomplished by contact pressure between two highly polished surfaces of, a seal stator fitted on machine casing and a seal rotor mounted on machine rotor or shaft. Sealing is achieved in these conventional mechanical seal in two directions namely—the radial direction perpendicular to the machine rotor or shaft axis and along the shaft surface in the axial direction. However the peripheral surface area of machine rotor or shaft, that faces the portion of casing thickness where the seal stator element is supported and the portion of the seal stator thickness which bears the rotor element of the seal, is exposed to fluid during operations. The fluid gets trapped at the clearance between the casing and the machine rotor in the area between ‘casing inner end edge’ and the ‘contact sealing surface point’. The amount of fluid trapped depends on above mentioned clearance, surface area at mentioned clearance and the operating fluid pressure. The trapped fluid is thwarted from leaking to spaces outside the casing of the fluid handling machine by the mechanical seal, however the trapped fluid connects the fluid spaces entrapped between casing and rotor and segregated by the rotor body elements that characterizes rotary machine and project radial from the rotor body or are fitted on the rotor to work on or be worked upon by working fluid within the fluid handling machine during operation like gears teeth, vanes etc. These spaces are not effectively sealed from each other and hence reducing volumetric efficiency and reducing performance. These leakages also render loss in compression in rotary engines resulting in inability of engine to attain combustion. Generally the quantity of mentioned trapped fluid is reduced by the ‘rotor body end surface’ inside the casing/stator, that shrouds rotor/shaft peripheral surface clearance at the seal area to avoid direct exposure to internal fluid, for example in gear pumps the Dedendum circle is of greater diameter than the puncture in the casing at rotor penetration point where the mechanical seal is fitted. The greater diameter shrouds the casing penetration area and a very fine working clearance between ‘rotor body end surface’ and casing is maintained, which provides an effective end face barrier that reduces leak off to periphery surfaces of rotor at sealing areas in fluid handling machines. The requirement of shrouding of casing at the seal stator holding area, constraint's the volume maximisation of segregated fluid space volume that is desired for maximising fluid throughput in fluid handling machines of given size and volume. It also hinders reduction in rotor body material quantity, weight and size. These limitations and draw backs that detrimentally influence volumetric efficiency, compression, sustaining of combustion & fluid throughput. It limits the optimization of parameters like weight, size, volume and cost of material in fluid handling machines due to usage of conventional mechanical seals.
It is therefore advantageous to provide an improved means of sealing which overcomes the aforesaid problems, and/or provides various other benefits and advantageous.